Equinox Ultralight bivy

“Anybody know anything about this item? I am looking for something just to use in my tarp to keep my down bag dry. Does this work or are there problems with it.”

“Jimmy San used a bivy on the Savage Guld trip. I guess there ok if you like coffins ;)”

“Right now I have the old Micro Mesh Bivy by MH. DOes this unzip enough to where you don't have to body bag it?

I have seen some that truly look like a body bag.”

“I would think a bivy would be an emergency gear item more than a nightly hotel. One that's bottom can be easily replaced, can be used as a ground cloth and thus always there for that night when fan gets hits it.”

“I love my bivy!
My first one was the REI Cyclopes. It worked fine until you had to zip all the way up. Then it was laying on your face.
I now have the OR Deluxe. This one has a pole to keep it off your face. I have gone through hail, rain, snow and MANY MANY star filled nights.
The only time I take a tent is when I'm expecting many days of rain. But that's rare in the Sierra.”

“I also like Bivy sacks, I have 2 the Bibler winter Bivy, your basic body bag with a zippered hood, no mesh. I use it when I am pretty sure that I am going to get a leanto and with my tarp in cooler weather. I have slept out under the stars in it although I have never been rained directly on with it. It adds alot of warmth to my sleeping bag.
I also have the Black diamond Lightsabre and use that alot in both warm and cold weather. I slept in it for last years FYAO down to -5* with no problems. It has 2 poles that basically make a small tent over your head.
The best thing about Bivies is the winter bivy weighs 8ozs and the Lightsabre weighs 1lb 5ozs.
It does take some getting used to but once your asleep does space matter?”

“I love my bivy. It's a Bibler with the wire hoop to keep the screen off of my face. I don't know the model but it's the green one.



It took a few trips to get used to it, but now I love the thing. Weight=22oz and it's very packable.

Sometimes I'll lay in it with my arms and head outside the bivy. Other times I'll retreat into it when there is rain or lots of bugs. It's a very versitile piece of gear.”

“dang - that green one reminds me of one of the pods from the old movie "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" - better not store it under your bed (grin)”

“i think the trick for bivys is thinking of them as weatherproof sleepingbag shells.

not tiny (confining) tents.”

“A bivy and a tarp?

Why not just get a tent?”

“I use a tarp over the bivy if I think it's going to rain or have a lot of moisture. I don't like getting in/out of the bivy in the rain because my sleeping bag gets wet. I use a silnylon poncho as a tarp so it's no big deal.”

“I have the Equinox UL Bivy.

Think of it more as a bag cover and not a true bivy. Water does bead up on it and roll off, but it is not waterproof. The bottom is silnylon, so that is probably waterproof unless you are lying in a puddle. The mummy design also has bathtub construction. I'm not sure if the older rectangular design had that.

It adds warmth to your bag since it functions as an additional layer to block wind and trap warm air. Occaisonally, I have experienced some condensation in the foot box area of my bag when using it, but nothing major. I know I have weighed it, but I don't recall if it is true to the 6.5oz that is listed. Most of my Equinox stuff has been pretty accurate though.

Sometimes I like to use a tarp without a groundcloth. In those cases, I don't have to worry about sliding off my pad in the middle of the night and getting my bag dirty. It also keeps the dew off when you are cowboying it.

It works great with my Marmot Hydrogen, but it you wanted to use it with a high lofting <0*F bag, you might run into some issues with it compressing the loft.”

“Jimmy San,

You might want to look at the Beta-Mid Sil-nylon tent.”

“I have a Tarptent Virga with the sewn-in floor. I like it a lot but it's still heavier than the Bivy and I don't trust it in very harsh weather.”

“There is nothing better(IMHO) than waking u early in the morning and looking out over the campsite from the comfort of your sleeping bag. A tarp and a bivy give you great versitility. You can hang out under the tarp and not be closed in, you can use it as a wind break and many more things.
My winter bivy and my tarp only weigh 24ounces find a tent that is as light and as versitle.”

“Well... I can think of quite a few things that are better... but that is quite nice. :)”

“it is quite funny to watch someone climb out of one”

“I have the same one as Jimmy San and I love it too. It's supposed to be the best bivvy out there, but I've seen others that are pretty cool. The one LT Hiker has is very cool and Pennsy's integral design is also very cool.”

“I hear you on the waking up under a tarp thing. That's one of my favorite things too.”

“In the winter I use the MSR Twin Peaks, if necessary with the Black Diamond floor. Gives me enough room for two people plus a load of gear. In the summer I use a Silnylon tarp that allows me to get the ventilation (for bugs a lightweight bug mesh around my bag. There is something nice about a tarp when it is raining. You have more space and it is cooler.”